the layer below the crust (mantle) is circulating slowly by a process called convection, the light granite plates on top of the mantle are carried along by the convetion current, and the pulling down of a plate into interior (subduction) pulls on the rest of the plate. lithosphere.
Background For Teachers: Water covers 70% of Earth's surface and is found in different locations on Earth. The amount of water in the oceans, atmosphere, and on land is hard to comprehend. Approximately ninety percent (97%) of it is found in the oceans. The atmosphere holds less than 0.001%, about two percent (2%) is found frozen on Earth in glaciers, and one percent (1%) is freshwater found in lakes, rivers and groundwater. Annual precipitation amounts to 30 times the total water found in the atmosphere at any given time.
The oceans, ice caps, and glaciers contain most of the Earths water supplies. Ocean water is too saline to be economically useful, while glaciers and icecaps are inconveniently located.. Click here to see a chart with these data. Surface water supplies, primarily river runoff, are about 300 cubic miles.